A NUMBER of privately run care homes have been criticised by East Lothian’s social work chief for their quality of care and standards.

The chief social work officer for the county said there was “increasing concern” about some of the providers operating in the county.

In her annual report to East Lothian Council on Tuesday, Fiona Duncan said: “It is noticeable that during the past year our care review team has had to spend increasing amounts of time with private providers ensuring that action plans are implemented.

“We are becoming increasingly concerned that some providers are reacting to poor grades rather than striving to maintain high-quality care and standards within their care homes.”

Ms Duncan’s comments came as she reported on Care Inspectorate visits to social work and social care services in East Lothian during the year.

Children’s services received a glowing report from inspectors for the Lothian Villa children’s home at Musselburgh, while adult services’ housing support care team and adult placement services scored high marks at inspections.

The Inspectorate carried out 19 inspections of care homes for older people in the county, with the majority in the private sector.

Ms Duncan said that while the majority demonstrated high levels of quality and care, low grades were given to five private homes.

She said: “Two of these resulted in large-scale investigations (LSI) being commenced whilst the others were subject to close monitoring and scrutiny.”

And she added: Whilst the majority did not progress to LSI, it is evident there have been a number of issues in a number of homes. This is something we are monitoring and discuss with our Care Inspectorate strategic link inspector and relationship manager for regulated services at our quarterly meeting.”

East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership said it was working with providers to help support them.

Earlier this year, the Courier reported that Drummohr Nursing Home, Wallyford, had been served with a formal Improvement Notice by the Care Inspectorate after an inspection raised “serious concerns”.

And Fidra House, North Berwick, was also downgraded by the Care Inspectorate following a visit in July last year when it was reported that “the provider graded the service as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ in all areas of care. However, the evidence we found at inspection did not support those grades”. Both homes are understood to have been the focus of the LSIs referred to in the report.

Fidra House has since received a much-improved inspection report, while Drummohr has been given longer to improve.

A spokesperson for the partnership said: “More people now require support in later life and many services for older people are under pressure, including care homes.

“We are addressing this through a range of measures with care providers directly, for example through our Care Home Team, who work alongside providers and offer support and education as required.”

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate, which carries out inspections of the homes, said: “We reported our findings in East Lothian in June 2016.

“We noted then that the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership delivered good outcomes for many older people.

“However, we also noted a need to effect continuous improvement to minimise the numbers of older people who experienced poor outcomes, such as when their discharge from hospital was delayed or they had to wait for the deployment of care at home services.

“Anyone with a concern about a care service can contact us, anonymously if necessary, on 0345 600 9527.”